


I Remember Falling

by TheStarsInYourEyes



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, Bullying, Depression, Eventual Romance, F/M, First Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Goth Girl, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Misophonia, OC has too much of my own personality, POV Multiple, Romance, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, feuds betweens goths and metalheads, goth characters, larry is sort of a bully, shitty parents, some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-09-30 08:55:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20444483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStarsInYourEyes/pseuds/TheStarsInYourEyes
Summary: : Hey there, I redid this story as I wasn't happy with the pacing and some dialogue, it's retitled Downfall, please check it out as I will be abandoning this but I will leave it up for reasons.New beginnings are tough, especially if you're a sickly, antisocial wallflower that has a penchant for black clothes and mopey goth music. Ivy Thorn is the new girl at Nockfell High, and she just moved into the fateful Addison Apartments down the hall from Sal Fisher, the kid with the mask.





	1. The Beginning is the End is the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I just got into Sally Face and it's been a long time since something hooked me in. 
> 
> I will warn ahead of time just in case that as someone that was a kid in the 90's/early 00's (without trying to sound pretentious or condescending), there may be some outdated behavior and cultural things included, I try not to offend anyone as best I can, I may change the rating a little higher, but I will do my best to warn any triggering content and include as many tags as needed. 
> 
> Also it will be switching from 3rd person to character POV a bit.

Summer was coming to an end, which meant for most kids, school would be starting soon.

For some, that meant new beginnings. Others, it simply meant the continuation of state mandated education while being in the company of classmates and friends.

For Ivy Thorn, it was a little of both.

Sitting in the back of her parents sedan, she rested her forehead against the window and watched the various trees and rural wasteland pass by.

"Are you excited for your new school, Ivy?" Said her mom, turning around from the front seat. Ivy didn’t look from the window and just shrugged.

"Oh honey, I know moving and starting at a new school is scary but just think, you’ll have a chance to make some new friends!" Ivy gave a half smile to acknowledge her mother, but still continued to stare out the window.

Ivy’s mother turned back around and gave her husband a worried look, he responded with his own and continued to drive to their new home.

*2 hours later*

"We’re here!"

Ivy lifted her head finally and saw the shabby looking building.

"Yep, Addison Apartments, home sweet home." Chirped her dad. Ivy wasn’t sure what to make of the new abode, but she wasn’t really excited for the new developments in her life.

But it wasn’t like she had much choice in the matter, the least she could do was humor her parents.

She opened the door and stepped out, but as soon as she put her foot on the ground and pushed herself up, she heard her mom panic.

"Oh honey, don’t stand up too fast, you haven’t moved in-" *THUD*

Too late. Ivy face planted onto the sidewalk in front of the building. Her vision was blurry and white as she regained consciousness.

"Are you okay, dear?" Her mother said as her and Ivy’s father helped her.

"Do I have all my teeth?" Ivy said, drearily. Ivy’s mother took a cursory glance at her daughter’s mouth and nodded.

"Solid." She mumbled as her head slumped forward.

"Here, why don’t you go upstairs and lay down on the floor, your father and I can carry this stuff in." Once she regained her footing, she grabbed the keys from her mom and walked inside the building.

"Oh thank god, an elevator." She felt particularly weak and wasn’t looking forward to walking up 4 flights of stairs.

"I really have no idea how Greg and Miriam were gonna haul all that shit anyway, between those two, a loveseat will throw them both out of commission." She mumbled to herself as she pressed the button for the 4th floor.

For some reason, this dizzy spell was rather bad. She couldn’t wait to go in and flop on the floor.

She got out and looked at the keys.

"404, pfft. Error indeed." She turned down and started walking to said apartment, but the vertigo hit really bad and she stumbled off to the side.

"Oh crap." She heard a voice behind her before feeling a set of hands trying to help her up.

"Miss, are you alright?" She looked up and tried to focus her vision on the person helping her, but thought she must have been hallucinating, because they had black hollow eyes and a doll like face.

She let out a groan as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and passed out.

"Oh no, miss?! Oh god."

"Whoa there criminal, trying to hide the evidence?" A long haired boy stepped from behind the unfortunate person trying to help.

"Shut up, Larry. Call an ambulance or something!" Sal tried to lift up the girl, hooking his arms underneath hers.

Before the long haired boy could call for help, the elevator dinged and Ivy’s parents stepped out.

"Oh my!" Miriam freaked out when she saw a masked boy with his arms around her daughter.

"Wait wait, it’s not what it looks like!"

"That’s what criminals say." Larry chuckled.

"Shut up! She came out of the elevator and just, fell." the masked boy was sweating bullets. Miriam let out a sigh of relief.

"I’m sorry to ask but can you boys help with getting her into the apartment? The poor dear gets so dizzy, she wilts like a flower."

Larry and the masked boy looked at each other and shrugged. The masked boy tried his best to lift her up before Larry laughed and picked up the girl bridal style.

"Hey, you guys are moving into 404? Well uh, hell of a welcome, but uh. Welcome to Addison, I’m Sal Fisher, I live in 402." The blue haired masked boy extended his arm and shook the hands of her parents.

"Nice to meet you Sal, I’m Miriam Thorn and this is my husband, Greg"

"How do you do, Sal?"

The pair seemed like typical suburban parents, Miriam was a light skinned woman with black hair and just looked like a mom, Greg wore glasses and wore a sweater vest. One would think that the girls parents were vampires based on how she was dressed.

After they got Ivy into what would be assumed as her bedroom, she was sat up near the window and had it opened for fresh air.

"Do you guys need help with moving?" Larry offered.

"If you boys don’t mind, we don’t have much but I know the movers will be here shortly with the rest of our things. I hope we won’t be keeping you from anything?"

"Not at all, Larry and I usually help out around the building anyway. It’s no problem." Miriam and Greg were a little leery of the teenagers, but after a minute, they seemed to be nice boys.

After getting the last box, Greg asked.

"I’m curious, are you boys doing a project or something? Seems a little early for Halloween."

"If you’re talking about the mask, it’s a prosthetic. I uh, had an accident as a kid." Greg went pale as he realized how insensitive he sounded. Miriam tried to cover.

"You poor dear, I’m so sorry."

"It’s okay, I know it takes people by surprise, it’s no big deal." Sal shrugged.

"I won’t lie, I thought you might be into the Halloween stuff, our daughter treats it like it’s Halloween all year." Miriam playfully slapped her husbands arm, he giggled.

"Oh Greg. Our daughter is a very creative young lady. She’s just a little shy, that’s all. Say, are you boys in high school?"

"Yeah, we go to Nockfell High, it's just a walk down the road.” Said Larry.

"Oh perfect, maybe you boys can show Ivy around? She’ll be starting this year at a new school and.. well, she’s a little quiet."

"Sure, we always try to bust out the welcome wagon when we can." Sal was oddly chipper.

"Perfect! Well, we’ll take it from here. You boys stop on by later, I’m making a welcome home pie!" Miriam gave her signature toothy grin as they shared goodbyes.

"Geez, it’s like being in a Tim Burton movie, it’s the chick from BeetleJuice and the parents from Edward Scissorhands." joked Larry.

"I hope she’s okay, I didn’t expect to see someone just fall like that unless they were wasted." Sal wondered about the girl dressed in all black, hoping that she was as nice ad her parents.

\----

*Ivy POV*

I watched as those two guys carried all my crap up from the car, I felt bad because I was just sitting there for the most part, but Mom and Dad freaked out if I tried to do anything.

So I just stared out the window.

The surrounding area looked barren, aside from the church down the road, it was all farmland until the downtown area waaaayyyy off in the distance.

Geez, what’s the point of being out here?

I heard talking and saw those two guys on the sidewalk. I’m not sure what they were talking about, but I could hear them. If I’m not mistaken, the one with the pigtails is a boy. Wait, didn’t he have a mask? or..

I got up to talk to my parents, found them chattering away in the living room.

"Hey, did a ghost help me?" That wasn’t the sentence I wanted but close enough.

"You mean that sweet blue haired boy? The poor dear had an accident when he was a child so he has to wear that thing."

"Yeah, I asked him if it was a Halloween thing or something, thought you two would have been fast friends. And that other guy was so tall, I thought he was a grown man." Oh Dad.

"Anyway, those boys go to your new school so you already have some buddies! Isn’t that great?" I tried my best to smile, I know my mom tries her hardest for me, but she really doesn’t have to go that far.

"Yayyy." That’s the best I could do Mom, sorry. Her smile got a little sad.  
Now I feel terrible.

"Hey uh, if it’s alright with you guys, I’m gonna go ahead and go to bed."

"Don’t you wanna stay up and meet your new friends? I’m making strawberry rhubarb pie!" Damn, she almost got me.

"No thanks, I’m just really tired. Save a slice for me, though, pretty please."

"Honey, your bed is still in pieces, do you want me to set it up?" My dad tries hard to be the handyman, he’s actually pretty decent for the most part, as far as I know about chores beyond the laundry and dishes.

"Nah, mattress on the floor is fine." I trudged off to my new bat cave.

I wish I could say I was excited for this new adventure, but I really don’t see how it’ll be different. If I was a freak in Albany and Manhattan, I’ll still be a freak in Nockfell.

Still, I’ll do my best. For Greg and Miriam. I’m sorry if I let you down, guys.


	2. Drag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day always sucks.

Several days had passed and not once did either Sal or Larry see hide nor hair from the new tenant, but they did see her parents a lot. 

At one point, Sal extended an invitation for her to join them and introduce her to the neighbors, but her parents said she still wasn't feeling well and it was possible she may actually miss the first few days of school. 

The reality was that she was incredibly nervous and making excuses to not go outside. 

She did her best to rehearse responses to questions and conversations, but once she felt confident enough to do or say anything, a small bit of doubt manifested and rendered her mute. 

Try as she might, she couldn't muster the emotional strength to go out and socialize with her peers. 

Even her parents were getting worried that she was regressing to old behaviors. 

"She can't lay in bed all day, it's not good for a developing teenager, especially a young girl." Miriam worried over her morning coffee. 

"I know dear, but you have to think about it, she's in a new place, with a new school, and she doesn't know anyone besides us. Plus her doctor said her new meds may take a while for her to adjust." Greg flicked his newspaper and peaked at his watch. 

"Well honey, I must head off, I've already got a workload waiting for me at the office. Should be home in time for dinner." Greg kissed his wife and scurried off. 

Meanwhile, Ivy laid in bed, her radio playing The Smiths, and contemplating life's existence, trying to ignore the wicked cramps plaguing her. 

"Ivy dear, are you hungry?" 

"That's a big 10-74."

"I'm gonna assume no. Well, there's breakfast if you want it." 

"10-4." Her monotonous tone only accented the dreary lyrics of Morrissey's voice. 

"So.. are you ready for school?" Miriam crept in, taking a seat on the bed. Ivy said nothing, just shrugged. 

"Well, I think it's a great opportunity for a fresh start, you know? Make new friends, explore the area, learn." 

"Not to rain on your parade Ma, but I'm not sure if location has anything to do with my ability to make friends." 

"That boy with the mask seems to have a couple friends." 

"That's not very nice, Miriam." 

"What? I'm sure he's very nice, and if they can accept his flaws, they can look through your dark exterior and see what a sweet, loving girl you are." Miriam smiled and patted her daughters leg. Ivy gave a half smile to please her, but knew deep down that her moms words were just inflated encouragement. 

"I guess it's worth a shot. Now, why don't we open these windows and let a little light in." Miriam rushed over and opened the black curtains to let the sunshine spill in, which was received with Ivy giving a very comical vampiric hissing. 

"The light! It burns us!!" she yelled at she pulled the covers over her head. Miriam laughed as she tried to tug the blankets off, having a very warm moment together. 

\---- 

Monday morning, and it was already a late start. Ivy spent all night thinking of every first day at school disaster possible. She tried to think of a way to skip out but her parents were insistent that she at least tried. 

In the back of her dad's car, she took deep breaths and tried to think good thoughts, but the possibility of catastrophic failure ran rampant and she fidgeted endlessly. 

Once they pulled up to the school, she practically tucked and rolled out of the car, barely acknowledging her dad on the way in. 

'What a great first impression.' she thought. 

The anxiety from admitting her tardiness to the office all the way from getting introduced to her new classmates rendered her speechless, especially when the teacher asked her about herself. 

"Are you nervous, Ms. Thorn? That's okay, I understand it's a new situation, why don't you have a seat over there and we can begin." On her way to her desk, she noticed the masked boy in the 3rd row. She tried to avert her eyes and ended up tripping over her skirt from not paying attention. 

The giggles from her new classmates set the tone for how the day was gonna play out. She quietly took her seat in second row at the very end and refused to talk to anybody. 

The first class ended, she waited for everyone else to leave before exiting herself, but realized she still had no idea where anything was. 

She stared at her class schedule and started to panic. She could ask, but who was gonna help out the weird, clumsy goth girl? 

"Oh hey, Ivy right? Need help finding your classes?" She turned to find a pretty girl with long brown hair and green eyes smiling at her. 

"Uh.. how did... you know my name?" 

"I know everything! I'm your tour guide for the day, also my friend Sal lives in your building and told me about you." 

"He did?" 

"Yeah! Anyway, I'm Ashley, but you can call me Ash, my friends do." She seemed so nice, Ivy was relieved to have any bit of niceness given to her. 

"Okay." She tried to smile. 

"Alright! What's your next class?" Ivy nearly dropped her paper fumbling with it. 

"Oh, uh.. uh.. Physics." 

"Perfect! That's my next class too!" Ivy was a little shocked at her niceness, maybe it was because she wasn't really used to it. Still, she chalked it up to her being a helper. 

Ash gladly lead Ivy around the building, showing her everything from the lunchroom to the 'good' bathrooms. Ash did most of the talking, Ivy mainly nodded or gave one word answers. 

It was still nice to have some bit of friendliness in her day. 

\--- 

Lunch came but Ivy chose to sit by herself. Bringing a simple lunch of a sandwich and an apple, she did her best to at least appear like she was eating. 

She avoided looking around the cafeteria, she was perfectly content with just having her CD Walkman fill the unnecessary void of conversation, today was Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. 

Meanwhile, Sal and his group of friends would stare occasionally over at the lone goth. 

"Should we go over there?" said Sal. 

"I think she needs a moment to adjust. She barely said a word to me when I took her around the school." Ash added

"Or maybe she's too good to hang out with us." Murmured Larry. 

"Larry, that's not nice. I think she's just really shy." said Ash. 

"What? She didn't even thank us for carrying her dead weight to her apartment."

"That's not fair Larry, she fainted." Sal chided Larry. Larry just rolled his eyes. 

"Anyway, she just got here, maybe she's just quiet at first until you get to know her." Ash seemed rather concerned at Larry's tone towards her.

"I don't know guys, she seems pretty content just sitting there by herself." Observed Todd. 

"Alright, let's give her a few days before we make our move."

"Geez Sal, what's your deal? It's just some new girl." Larry groaned.

"Aww, maybe Sal has a crush!" Ash playfully slapped his back, he blushed underneath his mask. 

"N-no! Not that, it's just, she lives in our building and she could probably use friends. Even her parents were excited for her to have friends." Thank goodness for his mask, but everyone could still hear the nervousness in his voice. 

"Well, we don't wanna disappoint, do we?" Ash winked while taking a bite from her fries before spitting it out. 

"Ugh!!" Everyone at the table laughed, catching the attention of Ivy for a brief moment. 

For just a second, she felt the slight tinge of envy. .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to keep the music appropriate for the time period.


	3. 'Twas Brillig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you deal with Misphonia like I do, I hope this won't be triggering for you.

"Ivy, you can't just skip school every time something terrible happens. If you keep letting this kind of thing get to you, you won't be able to survive out there in the adult world. Your father and I won't be here forever you know." 

Miriam pleaded with her daughter through the locked door. She refused to come out, much to the frustration of both her parents. After not hearing anything but faint sobs for 30 minutes, she gave up and just resumed her day, hoping that Ivy would relent and go to school. 

\--

"We can't keep coddling her like this, Miriam. It was one thing when she was 7 but she's almost 16 now. I'm worried about her social development." 

Miriam called Greg on his lunch break, he knew that once he heard his wife begging Ivy to come out and go to school that today would be difficult. 

"I know Greg, but the poor thing was tearing her hair out, and the therapist has said if we force it too hard, it'll make the situation worse." 

"Yeah, I know. Still, she can't keep missing school, they're gonna involve CPS if we don't do something." 

"You're right.." 

Miriam hated trying to force Ivy to do anything. They had built up a relationship that took years to get on talking levels beyond 2 word sentences. 

But Ivy couldn't just live with her parents for the rest of her life. 

\----

*Flashback to day prior* 

Ivy had been getting somewhat acclimated to her new school setting. Most kids were nice enough because she was new but was also met with blatant stares as her appearance was 'abnormal'. 

Though she couldn't help but wonder if the masked boy had to deal with this sort of thing. 

She did have an event during gym class where the teacher decided to ignore the medical note she had and overworked her, resulting in her collapsing and having Ash take her to the nurse. 

Sadly, she couldn't get out of school as she was deemed okay to attend classes. She had to suck it up for just a few more hours.

Lunchtime, however, proved to be challenging. Once again, she sat by herself, but Sal was strangely determined to make the new kid feel welcomed. 

"What's your obsession with this chick?" Said Larry. 

"I don't have an obsession, I just feel bad." 

"I'm not convinced you don't have a crush." 

"Stop. Everyone deserves a chance at friends, we were the weirdos once." 

"Dude, we're still the weirdos. She's just a bitch." 

"Larry, come on." 

"Yeah Larry, what's your problem lately?" Todd spoke up.

"I have a problem with stuck up bitches who think they're better than everybody." 

"Who says she's any of that? Anyway there she is." Ash nodded toward the empty table sans population Ivy. 

She was about to take a bite of her soup when all four of them sat around them. 

"Hey Ivy, mind if we sit here?" Ash smiled at her. Ivy put down her spoon, getting nervous. 

"Oh um.. well.. I guess.. not." She mumbled. Larry rolled his eyes and just tried to resume conversation while taking a huge bite of his sandwich and began talking with his mouth full. 

Ivy immediately lost her appetite, what little she had, and stared down at her tray, trying her best to ignore the noises. 

"So, I guess we're on settled on Friday for board game night?" Larry said through mashed bread and meat. 

"Yeah, I finally got a new Monopoly since I lost the pieces during the move." Said Sal, excited to try and invite Ivy. 

Ash then tried to have conversation with her, to make her feel included somehow. 

"Are you feeling better? You kinda scared me in gym today." 

"Um.. yeah." She tried to maintain composure, but Larry's gnashing somehow because the only thing she could focus on. 

The noises became louder and louder, actual speech was garbled and all she could hear was noise. 

Ash looked over to see her trembling and squeezing her fists, it also looked like she was clenching her jaw. 

"Hey Ivy, is everything okay?" She put a hand on her back but this is would be the kicker that sets her off. 

Ivy stood up, knocking her tray a few inches, silverware and other items clattered loudly and the cafeteria fell silent. She felt the eyes of every single person occupying that room on her, and broke out in a cold sweat. 

What happened next was a black blur running out of the lunchroom. Ash, Sal and Todd just stared at the doorway in awe of what just happened. Larry just rested his head on his fist and scoffed. 

"I told you she's a bitch." 

*Ivy POV*

I couldn't take it, I tried. I tried really hard to just deal with it like they all say, but I'm not convinced they weren't doing it on purpose. I let that girl be nice to me and she brings over her horrid friends. What do they want with me anyway? 

I just ran out of there, everything I did just made me look more like a freak, my only option was to just get out of there. 

And what's with mask boy anyway? Why does he get to have friends? 

I hope they didn't see me cry. 

I went to the nurses office and feigned illness and wicked cramps so my mom could come get me. 

I'm glad my mom is so understanding, I don't think Charlene would have been, she probably would have told me I'm just faking and let me bleed all over myself (had I actually been on my period) 

My poor mom had to see me with all my makeup running down my face, but she didn't say much other than "It's gonna be okay" and drove me home. 

I don't know if I can go back tomorrow, or the rest of the week, or ever. 

I made a total ass of myself. 

I took a shower and plopped down on my bed. I ended up falling asleep and woke up around midnight. Great, still had about 6 hours to panic about going back to school. 

\-----

*present day* 

School had let out, and Sal had been tasked with bringing Ivy her homework. 

"Sucks you got saddled with bringing that girl her crap. What's her problem?" 

"You know Larry, I'll bet your first time at a new school wasn't so spectacular either." 

"Yeah but I wasn't a spaz." Sal shook his head. He couldn't understand why Larry was being so mean to the new girl. 

"I'll admit though, her mom makes a mean pie." 

"Oh yeah, that was good, huh?" 

"Hell yeah, if she makes any, bring me one." 

They chatted until they parted ways in the elevator. Sal was a little nervous to not have Larry as a buffer, but it was probably for the best in case Ivy answered the door, but thankfully, it was just Miriam. 

"Oh! The boy from down the hall, uh.. Sam?" 

"Close, it's Sal. I brought Ivy's homework." He presented the small handful of packets. 

"Oh that's splendid. Here, why don't you head over to her room? I'm sure she'd love a visitor." 

"Oh um.. well I.." 

"Please? I know this is so forward of me to even ask such a favor but.. Ivy is having a difficult time adjusting. I guess something happened at school but she won't talk about it." Sal cleared his throat as he had tried to forget that moment. 

"Well, I can certainly try." 

He walked into their home, it smelled like flowers and cookies, and looked like a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. 

"Love what you did with the place." 

"Why thank you Sal, it's hard downsizing from a house but we're making do!" 

"Oh uh, which is.." 

"The door with that movie poster.. oh what is it, Nightmare on Elf Street?" 

Sal chuckled and knocked on said door. 

Heard a faint voice respond.

"The Council approves your visitation request, you may enter."

He opened the door to a heavily decorated dark room, the only light coming from the TV across the room. The walls had various music and movie posters, most containing men and/or women with dark makeup and frizzy hair. 

Then he saw the rooms resident sitting on the floor, in lack baggy clothes with a pullover, hugging her knees and watching the movie onscreen. He got closer and saw that it was Disney's Alice in Wonderland. And she was singing along. 

_"I could listen to a babbling brook, and hear a song that I could understand. I'd keep wishing it could be that way, because my world would be a wonderland.."_

and just in time with the white rabbit, Sal announced his presence. 

"I haven't seen the movie in forever." Ivy her head sharply and yelped as she expected her mother and not him. She backed up and braced the wall. 

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" 

"Jesus, what are you doing here?!" 

"Oh, I have your homework, and notes for stuff you missed." He held out the packets of paper, but she just stared at them. An awkward silence filled the room, with the movie still playing in the background. 

Ivy took a deep breath, taking the papers from him. 

"I'm sorry.. my heart had to calm down before I could say anything.. Thank you." 

"Of course. Are you coming back to school tomorrow?" She looked down. 

"I don't know."

"Well, if you want, we can walk to school together, me and Larry usually leave around 6:30." 

She grimaced, she knew that long haired boy wasn't a big fan of her, she could tell by the sour looks he gives her in passing.

"Thanks but.. my dad usually drives me, not for nothing. My physical prowess is.. lacking, so to speak." 

"Oh, I see. Well, that's okay." He kinda stood there, hoping to make more conversation, but he did end up getting distracted by the movie.

"Did.. you wanna watch the rest of the movie?" 

"I'm sorry, it's just been so long since I've seen the movie, I like all the colors and stuff." 

"You can join me if you want, provided that you're not an movie talker, but I will allow singing if you know the words." Ivy said matter-of-factly. 

"Deal." 

She crawled back to the middle of the floor. He sat down, making sure to put a few feet between them. 

They enjoyed the movie together, and while he delighted in watching it, he would notice her swaying and humming along to the songs. It was strangely adorable to him. 

The movie ended and he tried to strike up more dialogue as she retrieved the tape. 

"So you like Disney movies?" 

"Erm.. yeah. Kinda. I mean.. I do. They make me feel better." 

"Really?" He was a little intrigued. 

"Yeah.." She said sheepishly, while avoiding his direction. 

"I just.. whenever I feel bad, I put one in. I know it's really juvenile and childish but.. I don't know. Don't tell anybody!" She panicked. 

"I won't! I promise, but don't feel bad. At least don't feel bad about something that makes you happy." She wanted to smile, but just twitched her lips. 

"T-thanks.." 

"Anyway, I should get going, I promised Larry we'd hang out later. I'll see you tomorrow, Ivy." He got up and left, and all she could do was give a small wave, unsure of what to say back. 

She clutched her VHS tape, confused as to what just happened, but wouldn't have a chance to fully process before her mom came in. 

"He was in here for a long time." She said, strange look on her face. 

"Yeah, he watched Alice in Wonderland with me." 

"Oh? Really now?" She sat on the bed, interested in this new development. 

"Y-yeah." Ivy didn't like where this was going. 

"Well that's exciting! Did you guys have fun?" 

"I guess? We didn't talk much, he just offered for me to walk to school with him and that other boy." 

"See? You can make friends!" 

"I don't know if we're exactly friends, ma." 

"Well it's a start! Do you wanna walk with them from now on?" 

"Let's not get too hasty, Miriam. Besides, I'm not ready to make that long of a walk yet. It'll be a little while before I can." 

"Well okay. I'm a little sad that nice boy didn't wanna stay for dinner." 

"As much as I'd like to shout to the world how awesome your cooking is, I'm not ready for that just yet." 

"Fair enough. Are you going to school tomorrow?" 

"Yeah.. I don't wanna make that kid become my personal courier for homework." 

"I don't think he'd mind. I think he likes you." 

"Mom!" Ivy shouted in sheer teenage girl embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Misophonia is a very real thing that I deal with on a daily basis and it ruins a lot of my life. 
> 
> Sadly, there isn't much I can do about it. There's no treatment, and even in the time period this is set in, it didn't even have a name yet. 
> 
> If you don't have it, good. It's a constant agony. Anyway, thank you for staying tuned!


	4. Backstage Pass To Hell

In the days and weeks that followed, Ivy had reluctantly been added to Sal's little friend group, much to her and Larry's dismay. 

It mostly consisted of her joining their lunch time and sitting quietly among them. 

Maybe said one or two words during a conversation, but otherwise nothing to add. 

While the effort was appreciated, she felt like wallpaper, wouldn't really be noticed unless someone pointed it out. 

Of course, if there was anyone's attention she was getting, it was in the form of Travis Phelps and his unrelenting need for trouble. 

If he wasn't shoving her against the locker or the wall, he would call her foul names, mostly 'Satan Worshipping Slut' or 'Ugly Goth Bitch' 

Nothing she wasn't used to from bullies in the past, same shit, different person. 

Most of the time, this was done when none of the others could see, he liked to corner her when she was alone, knowing damn well she wouldn't fight back. 

The fact that she wore long sleeved shirts and dresses also helped in his favor when bruises showed up on her arms and legs from him. 

She chose to deal with this in silence, making her more reclusive. 

"Earth to Ivy!" 

Ash's voice jolted her. Right, it was lunchtime. Everyone at the table was staring at her. 

"You haven't touched your food, is everything okay?" 

"Erm yeah. I just.. don't have much of an appetite." She looked down at the lunch her mom prepared her. Fruit salad with a juice. Normally this would have been devoured within seconds but she barely managed a grape before giving up. 

"Fruit salad? No meat or anything?" Larry mumbled. Ivy shrugged down, feeling embarrassed, was this not a normal lunch? 

"Are a vegetarian?" Asked Sal. 

"Nah dude, she had chicken soup yesterday, remember?" 

"Wow Lar, stalker much?" Teased Ash. 

"Shut up, don't you remember when she sneezed and she ended up spilling it on the floor?" Ivy's face turned red as she remembered the event. Sal and Larry laughed for a few seconds until Ash scrambled to help her clean it up. 

Ivy did her best to not cry. Crying over spilt soup never helped anything. 

"Does.. anyone want this? It'll just go bad if I try and save it for later." She muttered. 

"I'll take it, I could use some fruit anyway." Ash cheerfully proclaimed. 

"Whoa wait, is that pineapple? Fuck yeah." Larry said as he torpedoed a fork into the tupperware. 

"You're welcome." Ash said, annoyed. The boys had dug into the plastic bowl, much to Ash's chagrin. Ivy, while not saying anything or changing expression, quietly enjoyed the little ruckus over a fruit salad. 

"Damn, coulda saved me an apple slice, you jerks." She joked as she handed the empty bowl back to Ivy. 

She tucked it back into her lunch bag and quietly walked to her locker to put it away. 

She walked down the hallway, the sound of her boots hitting tile echoed down the quiet corridor. She was always used to her own company, and felt a strange loneliness when the chatter from their lunch table was gone from her ears. 

As she reached her locker and entered the combination, she hugged the bag close to her as she thought of the joyous moment she witnessed in the cafeteria. 

A warm fuzzy feeling took over her stomach and she could almost smile, her lips twitched as they tried to curl. 

"What an ugly face." 

Unfortunately, like with anything else, the good feeling was short lived. 

Before she could look at her heckler, a hand gripped the back of her head and slammed it inside her locker, the impact making her bite her lip rather hard. 

She felt the broken skin and the warmth of the blood seeping out of the wound. 

She touched her lip to verify that indeed, she was bleeding. 

In that moment, rage had run through her veins, and in a flash, she did what she thought was the best course of action and chucked a large textbook at them, hitting them in the chest. 

The flash of blonde hair confirmed her suspicions. 

Travis. 

"You have some nerve!" He ran up and picked her up by the collar, and slammed her body onto the cold, unforgiving wall of lockers. 

Ivy froze up, unsure of how to proceed, her fight or flight response wasn't registering. 

"Stop it, Travis, let her go!" They both turned to see Sal and his 3 friends standing a couple yards away, shocked at the scene taking place. 

"Tch, can't fight your own fights and gotta call up your other freaky friends? Weakling." He gave her one last shove before dropping her on the ground and sprinting off before anything could be done. Ash and Sal quickly ran up to assess Ivy's wellbeing. 

"Do you need to go to the nurse?" Asked Ash. 

"She probably should, her lip is bleeding." Observed Todd. 

Ivy waved off Ash's hand, wiped off the blood, stood up, closed her locker, muttered "I'm fine." before stomping off to the girl's bathroom. The four watched her disappear behind the door.  
  
Ash felt the need to follow her but held back, feeling that she might need a minute to compose herself. 

In the bathroom, Ivy just stared into the mirror, holding a bloody napkin to her face as the sink ran. 

She stared so long into her reflection that she thought her face shape was changing. She didn't like whoever it was on the other side of the glass. 

Maybe if she were anyone else, she wouldn't have these problems. 

But this is who she is. 

And there's nothing that can change that. 

\-----

*Ivy POV*

Mom asked about the bloody lip, I just told her I tripped and bit myself. Of course, she made a comment about my boots not being practical but she knew as well as I did that it was a wasted effort. 

I didn't have it in me to tell her someone gave it to me. 

She was the queen of making a big deal over anything bad. 

The last time I mentioned someone was bullying me, she told the school and all it did was make everything worse. 

It's not the first time that fighting back did nothing.

Ash tried tell me not to mind Travis so much and that he's just an asshole. 

Apparently, Sal doesn't want them to engage despite how much they wanna take swing at him. 

She told me he had the same sentiment I had. 

Preaching to the choir. I'm sure he knows all about it. 

Oh well. 

Another day, another bruise I guess. 

On the plus side, my dad fixed my acoustic guitar. 

So at least I'll have that. 

\---- 

Halloween was around the corner, and while normally one would think the goth kid would be excited, she was dreading it. 

Mainly due to the amount of people asking to borrow her clothes for their vampire/witch costume, or the ones telling her it ain't Halloween yet. 

Still, at least she could feel a little like herself. 

"Hey Ivy, they're doing a haunted house downtown on Halloween, do you wanna go with us?" Sal had asked her. She closed her locker to see the smaller boy looking up at her, his blue eyes holding slight excitement. 

"Um.. I don't know, maybe." 

"We're gonna go as a group, though we haven't decided if we're gonna dress up yet." 

"Oh, okay." Her answers were noncommittal and short. 

Truth was, she was really excited that he was asking her. As much as she wouldn't admit to anyone, or herself, she was starting to like him. He had been so kind to her and wanted to include her in a lot of things with his friends, and sometimes she had tried to join in, but usually felt like the outsider. 

There was a time where a planned outing lead to her getting violently ill and bedridden for an entire weekend. 

And then the homecoming game where her and Todd ended up getting trampled trying to exit the gymnasium.  
At some point, she wondered why she had bothered. 

She knew why, she just ignored it. 

Sal was growing on her, he wanted to know more about her and was interested in her hobbies and taste. Even though she didn't talk much, he still enjoyed her company. 

So, of course she was going.

The days leading up to the event had her gliding down the hallways in hidden glee, whenever she saw Sal in passing, she would look away as she was afraid to make a weird face. 

Even Travis' shitty comments weren't enough to deter her. 

*Time skip to Halloween Night* 

Sal, Ash, Larry, and Ivy met up with Todd, Neil, Chug and Maple for the festivities.

Though a part of her wished it was just her and Sal, she was quietly elated to be part of a large group that wasn't due to mandatory education. 

"Alright guys, since we're apparently too old for trick or treating, let's go get spooked and then.. I don't know, pizza?" Ash addressed the group. 

"Can we just skip right to the pizza?" Chug said, raising his hand, making everybody laugh.

"Oh Chug." Maple elbowed him. 

As they walked up to the set up in one of the business plazas, it actually presented to be a little more than just a goofy, spooky event. 

Ivy got nervous. Even though she loved horror, she was actually jumpy and easily startled, a secret she tried to keep to herself. 

"Alright, everybody in pairs. I'll be up front with Larry, then Todd and Neil, Chug and Maple, and Sal and Ivy in the back." 

Ivy gulped. Paired up with Sal? 

Larry and Ash disappeared through the entrance. Todd and Neil went as well. Ivy was already shaking with anxiety, but did her best to appear collected. 

"Hey, if you get scared, you can hold my hand." Sal whispered. She wanted to say something smart but just let out a small 'heh' while avoiding eye contact with him. 

Soon, it was their turn. Ivy took a deep breath, and exhaled as she walked through the doorway. 

It was all dark, with the exception of purple and red lighting underneath props and in random spots of hallways. A variety of themes came into play, ranging from dollhouse, vampires, and hospital. Non sequitur, but still scary nonetheless. 

She admired the set up of the dollhouse, frilly lace dresses and curls offset by the creepy doll faces, some of which had eyes that followed. There were mannequins that turned out to be actors, but the mystery was finding out which ones were real. Ivy bumped into Sal a couple times, never reaching for his hand. 

The vampire one was just hilarious to Ivy, as they all thought she was supposed to working. 

The hospital one proved to be really unsettling, with bloody nurses and rabid patients looking to grab the both of them. Ivy jumped a couple times, getting genuinely shocked at the surprises they had. When she thought it was over however, the sound of a chainsaw revving up had made her scream and start running, leaving Sal behind, calling after her, but she wouldn't stop. 

She tripped and her assailant caught up to her. She flipped over to face her would be attacker who brought the chainsaw up to her face while he maniacally laughed. He backed up when he felt she was scared enough, growling "Happy Halloween" before Sal came up and pulled her off the ground. 

"Are you alright?" He said, genuinely concerned. She held her chest as she finally remembered how to breathe, her lungs hurt from lack of oxygen. 

"Yeah.. yeah, I think so." She stood up straight as she caught her breath. 

"Boy, that was kinda scary, huh?" He said as they reached the exit. 

"I'll say." She mumbled, pushing the door open. She got out only a few steps before

"RAAAAHHHHH" An demonic face popped up in front of her and shouted in her face, she screamed at the same time before all the oxygen left her body, causing her to pass out and fall over. 

Sal heard the sounds of raucous laughter as he came out to see Larry pulling off a demon mask and saw that others were pointing and laughing at the unconscious Ivy on the ground. 

However, he did not find it funny, and rushed to her side. 

"Ivy! Ivy, can you hear me?" The laughter died down quickly as they realized the situation. 

He shook her a couple times before she stirred, his mask startling her before realizing who it was. 

She sat up, still dizzy from the fall, and exhaled loudly. 

"I'm going home." She got up and immediately began walking away from the group, leaving them speechless. 

"That was really mean, Larry." Scolded Maple. 

"Oh don't give me that, it's Halloween! You go to a haunted house looking to be scared! if she didn't wanna be scared, she should have stayed home." Larry threw a fit, why was everyone all upset over her?

"Enough, Larry." Said Ash, looking at Sal who looked defeated. 

Everyone stood in uncomfortable silence for what seemed like a long time. 

Until Chug broke the silence. 

"Are we still getting pizza?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are you guys doing for Halloween?
> 
> edit: I may redo this as I feel like my pacing is incredibly bad, I have all the later chapters typed out and ready for revision but I have issues moving the story naturally. stay tuned ya'll
> 
> edit 2: Hey there, I redid this story, it's retitled Downfall, please check it out as I will be abandoning this but I will leave it up for reasons.


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